From what to drink tea. Recommendations of an expert on the use of black tea: composition, properties, rules of brewing, contraindications

The tea drinking procedure is revered in many countries, because this is a wonderful pastime, and tea leaves give the drink not only a pleasant taste and aroma when brewing, but also nourish it with beneficial substances for the body that refresh, invigorate, tone and vitaminize it. However, despite the fact that for many decades people have been drinking this drink, many still do not know how to do it right. Learning this is not as easy as it sounds. Well, if given the opportunity to visit an institution specializing in tea and conducting tea ceremony. Ideally, this should be a Chinese institution, because the culture of tea drinking originated in China.

How to drink tea at home and what to pay special attention to?

  First of all, you need to learn how to brew tea. And, first of all, the water for brewing will influence the final result. Ode should be soft, purified, free from impurities and odors (especially bleach). It is better to use distilled water. If the water is purchased, then in no case should it be carbonated or mineralized. You can use water from the tap, only after passing it through the filter and letting it stand for a day.

The water temperature is selected based on the fermentation of tea leaves. For example, for black and the water temperature should be 95-100 ° C, but yellow, green and white teas are best brewed with water at a temperature of 60-85 C.

Also strongly influences the final taste of the drink. The best and most correct dishes are made of red clay - ceramic kettles with a volume of 0.5 liters. It is rather problematic to choose a good kettle, as manufacturers do not always correctly position the spout at the kettle, which is why the drink is brewed badly, and it becomes difficult to wash such dishes. If you could not get such a kettle, then you can use the usual earthenware. Cups for tea usually look in the form of a bowl, with a lid and a saucer.

Initially, clean dishes are poured with boiling water, which then pours out, and the dishes are wiped dry. Then dry tea leaves are placed in the kettle (not just a slide, but distributed across the bottom of the kettle), which are poured twice - the first time for a short time to wash the leaves, and only the second - for brewing, while the teapot is filled only 2/3 volume. It is recommended to cover the kettle for a while with a napkin and let it infuse. If a small brown froth appeared on top, the tea was brewed correctly.

Teapot-presses are now available for tea lovers. Of course, they are very convenient in everyday life, but one rule must be remembered - no need to press the sheets too much, otherwise they will not be straightened.

Who better to drink tea?

  To get full aesthetic pleasure from drinking this drink, it is better to drink it not alone, but with close people in a relaxed state, enjoying every sip and breathing in its scent. You can drink tea both in winter and in summer. In winter, it will warm you up perfectly, help relieve fatigue and give your body a boost of energy, and in summer it will help maintain normal body temperature even in the most intense heat. Details

How to drink tea? Tea drinking is very developed in our country. It would seem that we may not know? However, once in the culture of other countries from China, tea harbors secrets that all lovers of this drink should know.

The first ban - tea on an empty stomach. When you drink tea on an empty stomach, the cold nature of tea, penetrating inside, can cool the spleen and stomach, which is similar to the "penetration of a wolf into a house", in China since ancient times advised "not to drink tea on an empty heart."

The second ban - on burning tea. Too hot tea strongly irritates the throat, esophagus and stomach. Prolonged consumption of very hot tea can lead to painful changes in these organs. According to foreign studies, frequent use of tea with a temperature above 62 degrees leads to an increased vulnerability of the stomach walls and gives symptoms of various diseases of the stomach. Tea temperature should not exceed 56 degrees.

The third ban is on iced tea. While warm and hot tea invigorates, makes clear the mind and eyes, cold tea gives side effects: cold stagnation and sputum accumulation.

The fourth ban is on too strong tea. High caffeine and tannin content in strong tea can cause headaches and insomnia.

The fifth ban is for long brewing of tea. If tea is brewed for too long, tea polyphenols and essential oils begin to oxidize spontaneously, which not only deprives the tea of ​​transparency, taste and aroma, but also significantly reduces the nutritional value of tea due to the oxidation of vitamins C and P contained in tea leaves, amino acids and other valuable substances. In addition, while infusing, the tea is exposed to the environment, if the tea languishes for a long time in heat, the content of microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) increases significantly.

The prohibition of the sixth - on repeated brewing. Usually, after the third or fourth tea leaves, little is left. Experiments show that the first infusion draws about 50% of the useful substances from the tea leaves, the second - 30%, and the third only about 10%, the fourth tea leaves adds another 1-3%. If you continue to brew tea further, then the infusion may also produce harmful components, since the harmful elements contained in very small amounts in the tea leaves enter the infusion last.

Ban the seventh - for tea before meals. A large amount of tea, drunk before a meal, leads to the dilution of saliva, food begins to seem tasteless, in addition, the digestion of protein by the digestive organs may temporarily decrease. Therefore, drink tea 20-30 minutes before meals.

The eighth ban - tea immediately after a meal. Any abundant drink immediately after eating leads to a significant decrease in the concentration of gastric juice, and this slows down the digestion and disrupts the work of all the digestive organs. If you want to drink tea after a meal, wait 20-30 minutes.

The ninth ban on drinking tea with medicines. Tannins contained in tea, when split, form tannin, from which many drugs precipitate and are poorly absorbed. Therefore, the Chinese say that tea destroys medicines.

Ban the tenth - on yesterday's tea. Daily tea does not only lose vitamins, but also becomes an ideal breeding ground for bacteria. But if the tea is not spoiled, it can be used in therapeutic purposes, but only as an external agent. So, tea infused for 24 hours is rich in acids and fluorine, which prevent bleeding from the capillaries, so yesterday's tea helps with oral inflammations, pain in the tongue, eczema, bleeding gums, superficial skin lesions, ulcers. Washing the eyes with yesterday's tea helps to reduce discomfort when blood vessels appear in the proteins and after tears, and rinsing the mouth in the morning before brushing your teeth and after eating not only leaves you feeling fresh, but also strengthens your teeth.

The life of a modern person cannot be imagined without a cup of fragrant black tea. Due to the mild taste, many use it in large quantities, like water. However, he is far from harmless. Tea can have a truly healing effect on the body, but in some cases it can cause significant harm to health.

The composition and properties of black tea

Black tea contains a large number of useful substances that are very easily extracted from the dry leaf in the infusion. The main ones are vitamins A, C, B1, B2, PP, K, amino acids, flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids (theine is tea caffeine, theophylline), essential oils and organic acids, tannins. In addition, tea is rich in various compounds of potassium, sodium, magnesium, silicon, fluorine, copper, iodine, calcium, phosphorus.

Due to the presence of these substances, the tea drink has a mass useful properties: tonic, stimulating the nervous and cardiovascular systems, astringent, hemostatic, bactericidal, diuretic.

Provides healthy skin, hair, supports the endocrine system. Strong infusion of tea washed eyes with conjunctivitis. Flavonoids protect cells from free radicals, restore the membrane of damaged cells, slow down the aging process, increase the body's resistance, strengthen the capillaries, prevent the development of atherosclerosis. Tea is a must-have drink for people with low blood pressure.

Nevertheless, this wonderful drink can lose its positive properties if a person makes mistakes while brewing and using it.

How and when can you not drink black tea?

It is widely believed that breakfast can be limited to a cup of sweet tea. But the fact is that tea infusion inhibits the secretion of gastric juice and bile, suppresses appetite. But there is a feeling of hunger at an unusual time, the daily diet is broken.

You start snacking on the go, more often with sweets, and as a result you risk acquiring a bunch of diseases. The same cautions apply to tea drinkers just before eating. In addition, by reducing gastric secretion, digestion is impaired, the tannins contained in it block proteins and prevent their absorption. Everything else, the aftertaste of tea distorts the taste of many products and does not give the opportunity to enjoy the food. Therefore, it is recommended to use a tea drink no less than 30 minutes before a meal.

Many people like piping hot. Regular consumption of such a drink can lead to burns of the oral mucosa, esophagus and stomach, and this, in turn, to inflammatory processes and even the formation of scars.

The most serious mistake is made by lovers of too strong tea. This tea contains an excessive concentration of caffeine, theophylline, which in large doses cause our body to work under stress. This can cause rapid breathing and heartbeat, increased blood pressure, overexcitement of the nervous system, insomnia, mood swings, headaches.

The astringent property of tea can lead to constipation. Excess tannin disrupts protein and iron absorption. Therefore, people with anemia need to be very careful about this drink. Fluorine contained in tea in small quantities is necessary and useful, but in excess concentration destroys calcium compounds and, thus, damages the health of teeth and bones.

In addition, it is proved that strong black tea increases intraocular pressure, so it is generally not recommended to use in glaucoma. Excessive diuretic effect of the drink can lead to severe thirst and loss of important trace elements by the body.

Do not insist on tea for a long time, especially for the future. It is recommended to drink tea freshly, insist 1-3 minutes, use a maximum of 20 to 30 minutes. After this time, the drink becomes too strong, the concentration of substances capable of causing harm increases sharply, and the vitamins and organic acids, on the contrary, are destroyed.

The drink, which stayed all night, is completely devoid of useful substances, and if it was also sweetened, then this is a favorable nutrient medium for the reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms.

And, finally, it is completely unacceptable to drink medicine with tea. After all, the infusion of tea is a mass concentrate of biologically active substances, many of which are simply incompatible with medicines. Taking the drug along with tea, you risk getting weakened or, conversely, uncontrolled enhancement of the effect, thereby causing harm to health.

How to drink black tea?

In moderation, black tea can and should be drunk, if you remember and follow certain rules. In fact, the secrets of the correct use of tea is not so much.

1. Tea drink should not be excessively strong and scalding hot.

2. You can not use tea instead of breakfast, just before meals, after and during meals.

3. Do not brew tea for a long time or leave it until the next day, you need to drink only freshly brewed drink.

4. In no case can not use drugs with tea.

In which case, black tea should be abandoned?

And, finally, it is necessary to limit or stop using tea altogether for people prone to vascular disorders, suffering from arterial hypertension, arrhythmia, varicose veins, thyrotoxicosis (increased formation of thyroid hormones), arthritis and gout. Do not abuse the tea drink for pregnant women. Tea for those suffering from glaucoma is absolutely contraindicated.

Remember these simple rules, and then an infusion of fragrant tea will give you pleasure and keep you healthy!

Paradoxically, but the fact is that only a few know how to really brew and drink tea. Most tea drinkers care little about the quality of tea they drink, heat tea leaves on a fire or steamed, give it a long time to infuse, sometimes they add soda, sugar, salt to enhance the color of tea. Still there are wrong ways to brew tea - in thermoses, flasks, coffee makers, they dry tea on the batteries of the heating system. Such would-be lovers harm themselves and others by spreading misconceptions about tea.

Properly brew tea.

Tea is a delicate, delicate product, and it should not be brewed approximately by eye, but according to the most scrupulous rules. The main thing is in thoroughness, accuracy, cleanliness of preparation, in a strict sequence of simple operations, accuracy and speed of their execution. Every little thing is important here.

The quality of tea depends on how it is stored. At home, tea is best kept in porcelain or earthenware teapots or in glass jars with ground glass stopper or screw cap. In all other hermetic vessels (metal, plastic, plastic, etc.) tea can not be stored.

Plastics are absolutely not applicable to the storage of tea, as the tea in them suffocates, and, in addition, they give it its own smell. The most suitable for temporary storage is tin or aluminum foil, but it does not provide complete tightness. You can not keep tea just in paper. Tea ware should be kept in a warm (but not hot), dry, clean, often ventilated place. Under conditions of improper storage, tea can completely lose its smell in one day.

You can not open tea while cleaning vegetables (especially garlic and onions), meat, fish, you can not take a jar of tea with your hands, which left at least traces of the smell of toilet soap, tobacco and perfume, not to mention gasoline. These smells have a deadly effect on tea, irrevocably destroying its aroma and taste.

Water for brewing should be soft. With hard water, it is advisable to defend her day, use water softeners and increase the rate of welding.
  Brew tea with water when it boils with a “white key” - not earlier and not later. At this moment, many small bubbles rise from the bottom of the kettle, the water becomes slightly cloudy, and the kettle begins to make sounds similar to the sound of a bee swarm.

The re-boiled water is unsuitable for brewing, as is the water boiled not by the fire, but by the electric heater. Violation of these rules can lead not only to the fact that the taste and aroma of tea worsens, but also to the fact that tea partially or completely loses those useful components for which it is valued.

The best kettles for boiling water are metallic or enameled, but in the latter it is easier to miss the necessary stage of boiling water. Tea can be brewed only in porcelain or earthenware, but in no case in metal.

The sequence of stages of proper tea brewing.
  1. Empty the kettle for brewing warm by rinsing 3-4 times with boiling water.
  2. As soon as the water starts boiling with the “white key”, a portion of dry tea is put into the kettle and immediately poured with boiling water.
3. At first, only half of the teapot is filled in with water, and if the tea is green, then up to one quarter. The kettle is immediately closed with a lid, then a linen napkin so that it covers the holes in the lid and spout of the kettle. (Fabric detains volatile aromatic oils.)
  4. Tea insist from 3 to 15 minutes depending on the variety. Delicate varieties insist less. You can not cover the kettle with cushions, dolls on cotton and so on. From this, the tea stops and becomes tasteless, as they say, it smells like a broom.
  5. When tea is infused, it is topped up with boiling water, but not to the top.
  If foam appears on the tea, it means that it is brewed correctly, if there is no foam, some kind of violation has been committed. Foam should not be removed, stir the tea with a spoon. You can also pour the tea into a clean cup and pour it back into the teapot so that all the tea mixes well.
  6. Tea is poured into cups, without diluting additionally with boiling water. Drink it for an hour after brewing, leave the next day can not. Fresh tea is like balsam, tea left overnight is like a snake, says an Eastern proverb.
  Brewing norms

The old Russian norm is 1 teaspoon of dry tea for a glass of water plus 1 teaspoon of tea, provided that in the process of tea drinking the kettle will be refilled. In other words, 4 teaspoons of dry tea and another teaspoon in addition should be put in a kettle with a capacity of 1 liter (4–5 glasses), if the teapot will be added another 0.5–0.75 l.

Enjoy your meal and delicious tea!